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[MARCH up level with them off Chiswick Mall-in which step they were assisted by the fact of the Cambridge coxswain hugging the tow-path shore too closely. Opposite the waterworks just below Chiswick Eyot the Oxford men forged their boat about a third of a length in front. At the foot of Chiswick Eyot the Oxford crew began slowly to leave Cambridge astern. Nevertheless the Cambridge crew struggled on, and again gathered themselves together for another effort at Chiswick Church, past which Oxford led by half a length, or perhaps a trifle more. At the White Cottage, between the church and the bathing-place in the Duke of Devonshire's meadows, the Oxford boat drew clear, and off the creek led by a length and a half. From this point the Oxford eight gradually went away, notwithstanding several well-sustained spurts in the Cambridge boat, and passed Barnes Bridge two lengths in front. The Oxford crew, after reaching the railway bridge about two lengths ahead, increased their lead thence to the finish, arriving at the flag-post, at the Ship at Mortlake, the winners by three lengths-an interval of two lengths separating the stern of one boat from the nose of the other. The time of the race was, to Hammersmith, 8 min. 2 sec.; top of Chiswick Eyot, 12 min. 4 sec.; Barnes Bridge, 17 min.; and the winning-post, 20 min. 22 sec.-the fastest race yet rowed. The umpire, Mr. J. W. Chitty, was prevented from seeing the termination of the race, his steamer having come into collision with that of the harbour-master at Barnes.

SHOCKING CATASTROPHE AT SEA.-The Waterford Company's steamer "Leda," Captain William Coveney, left Oporto on the previous day, with a cargo of fruit and cattle, for London. Near Cape Finisterre, at about two p.m., she followed for some distance a four-masted screw-steamer, which appeared to be in great distress. This vessel was very deep aft, and suddenly went down, stern foremost. The "Leda" steered up immediately, and found a number of the crew floating about and endeavouring to save themselves. Two quarter-boats (one in charge of the chief officer, Mr. Pratt) were at once lowered, and each succeeded in rescuing five men ; three were picked up by the ship. Of those saved, three were on the bottom of one lifeboat and three on the bottom of another. They were large, serviceable boats, which turned bottom up when the steamer went down. There was no time to lower them by the ordinary mode. The other men saved were floating on spars. The body of one man was found in a life-buoy, with his head under water. While the crew were in the water, a clipper schooner, name unknown, and showing no colours, sailed close to them, but passed on without rendering any assistance; the schooner was so close that she was hailed by one man in the water, who was answered by those on board; she appeared to steer for the harbour of Moroso. The vessel which sank proved to be the "Italian," 1500 tons, Captain Patrick Urquhart, belonging to Messrs. John Bibby and Co., of 21, Water-street, Liverpool, from Trieste, March 5, with general appeared that she struck on a sunken rock about five

miles off Cape Finisterre, and went down in ten minutes; wind N.E., moderate. The steamer had five hatchways, and the water poured in by the fourth and fifth, which were abaft the engineroom. When she went down she had on board a crew of thirtynine; so that twenty-six perished, besides three passengers-the steward of a yacht, who had paid his passage from Corfu, and two distressed British subjects sent home by the consul, one of whom was a carpenter belonging to Hull, the other a seaman belonging to Harwich.

22. DOUBLE EXECUTION AT DURHAM.-A double execution took place this morning in the interior of Durham_gaol. The culprits were William Dolan and John M'Conville. Dolan was convicted at the late assizes for the murder of Ward, at Sunderland; and M'Conville was convicted of the murder of Philip Trainer, at Darlington.

23. TRIAL OF THE BRAKEMEN OF THE IRISH MAIL-TRAIN.—At the Denbighshire assizes, the two brakemen of the goods-train, part of which caused the terrible accident to the Irish mail-train near Abergele, last August, were tried for the manslaughter of three of the persons who were burned to death on that occasion. The jury acquitted the prisoners. An indictment for manslaughter was also preferred against the station-master, but that was ignored by the grand jury.

28. DESTRUCTION OF A MUSIC-HALL.-This morning, between six and seven o'clock, the South London Music-hall, in the Londonroad, Southwark, was destroyed by fire. It stood very near the Elephant and Castle, and was occupied each evening by a comparatively low portion of the community. It was not large, being about eighty feet long and sixty feet broad. At the entrance to it was a refreshment bar, and the back part of it abutted on some small houses in London-street. It had been for some time tenanted by Mr. R. E. Villiers; the ground, however, belonging to the Rolls estate. The fire broke out about half-past six o'clock, and the intelligence was received at the chief station of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Watling-street at a quarter to seven. In a short time five large steam-engines, with several manuals, together with more than fifty firemen under Captain Shaw and Mr. Hamlyn, the district superintendent, were on the spot. When they arrived the music-hall was in flames from one end to the other. The engines were immediately set to work, and, after considerable labour, the firemen managed to extinguish the fire, although by that time the music-hall had been destroyed, and the greater part of its roof burnt. The bar and dwelling-house were but slightly injured, as were also several of the small houses, mostly let out in tenements, in the rear. The cause of the outbreak was unknown.

29. THE EASTER MONDAY VOLUNTEER REVIEW AT DOVER.-The great Easter gathering of volunteers at Dover on Easter Monday was considerably marred by the stormy weather that prevailed; but the military operations, though delayed, and at one time threatened

to be abandoned, took place with more éclat than could have been expected under the circumstances.

The tempest dashed the "Ferret," a sailing training-brig, which was to have taken part in the naval operations at the review, against the Admiralty-pier, and she soon became a hopeless wreck. Fortunately the crew, which consisted of eighty-six boys and twenty men, were saved. Another sailing-brig was considerably damaged.

In the afternoon his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief took up his position at the saluting-base, at the Castle-hill-fort, with Prince Arthur on his right hand. Prince Teck rode past at the head of his own brigade of Surrey Artillery, and then joined the royal circle at the flagstaff. General Sir Hope Grant and a brilliant staff were immediately in rear, and in striking contrast to the British scarlet were two Austrian uniforms. The passage of regiments before the Commander-in-Chief was sustained with as much regularity as circumstances permitted.

After passing the saluting-base, a distance of twenty or thirty paces, the thinned battalions closed to quarter distance on the move, brigades closed on the leading regiments, and the whole force that could be mustered for the march past proceeded to take up the positions allotted to them for the sham-fight.

The cavalry, a proportion of the field batteries, and the first two divisions of infantry, proceeded by the Deal-road to take up a position behind the cross-road from Guston, and face towards the castle and Castle-hill-fort. This corps-d'armée represented an invading force that had landed from their fleet between Deal and Dover, and were now advancing to attempt the capture of the castle, and the other defences of the town, by a coup-de-main. It formed a line consisting of the first, second, fifth, and sixth brigades of infantry, stretching from the Deal-road to the cliffs, the right being a quarter of a mile in rear of Bere-farms, and the left resting on the coastguard station. Its right wing was protected by a strong force of artillery and cavalry, and by the fourth brigade thrown forward in advance in the direction of Bere-farms. left wing, though resting on the cliff, had a force of artillery drawn up in the rear, and also the seventh brigade of infantry, in line of columns, in reserve. The third brigade was also posted in reserve, covering the junction between the first and second brigades in the

first line.

Its

This force was supposed, after landing, to have marched in two divisions along favouring hollows by West-cliffe and Wanstowefarm. Their landing, however, being known, and their intention discovered by the spies of the defenders, a strong force of the garrison were supposed to have marched out from Dover to try and check the progress of the enemy in the open field. Its right, strongly supported by artillery, rested mainly on the cliff; and the left, running along the high ground behind Broad Lees-farm, ssed the Deal-road, the same distance west of the Swing-gate

Inn that the invaders were to the east of that point. The twelfth, eleventh, and tenth brigades formed the line, the ninth brigade being thrown somewhat forward, en échelon; and the eighth brigade covering the left of the position by being thrown forward to the cross-road between the Swing-gate and the Bere-farms. The left flanks and rear of the defending force were strongly supported by field artillery and guns of position; while the left had the thirteenth brigade in support, covered by a battery of fortypounder Armstrongs on the edge of the cliff. As each corps-d'armée moved to its position, accompanying telegraph-waggons uncoiled wires, which placed each divisional commander in communication with the Commander-in-Chief, through the medium of a telegraph officer, who received and communicated orders for the attack and defence. Mounted sappers communicated the orders to the brigadiers, and in this way the programme of the day was carried out, with as much rapidity and certainty as if it involved only the manœuvres of a single battalion working by the voice of its commanding officers.

It was when the two opposing forces were in these relative positions that the right of the invaders discovered the defenders moving along the Walmer and St. Margaret's roads, with their advance already occupying the enclosures of Bere-farms. The stealthy advance of each was now brought to a close. The bugles on each side sounded the halt, and preparations were made at once to try the fortune of a fight. The solid mass of the fourth brigade, which formed the advance of the invaders, melted into a cloud of skirmishers, who advanced rapidly, firing as they went, against the brigades who were occupying Bere-farms for the defenders. The field batteries of the Third Middlesex Artillery dashed forward over the heavy soil, unlimbered, and within a few moments of the word of command, "Action front," were pouring in a heavy fire to support the advance of the skirmishers. Covered by the buildings and inclosures of Bere-farms, the defenders returned a deliberate and telling fire, which checked, though it could not stop, the advance of the enemy; and soon the struggle for the possession of this key to the position of the left of the defenders became critical. The advancing brigades of the invaders deployed, stretching in a long line from the edge of the cliffs to the Deal-road, and began slowly to wheel forward their right, to follow up the advantage that their skirmishers seemed now certain to secure. The defending force, who had been in line of columns of battalions, concealed beneath the eastern brow of the hill above Broad Leesfarm, now rapidly deployed, threw out a cloud of skirmishers, and, covered by them, advanced to the crest of the hill, where they came full upon the enemy. In a few seconds heavy artillery was thundering from each flank of the opposing forces; the skirmishers, after a gallant attempt to make an impression on the enemy, were recalled, and the action became general all along the line. As the battalions of the defenders retired, the invaders'

left swept forward and occupied the ground they had vacated. Almost simultaneously their right wing swept forward in one unbroken wave, which engulfed the Bere-farms, and drove the advanced brigade of the defenders in headlong retreat on their main body. The invaders again pressed forward in full career, and, though gallantly opposed by the left of the defenders, slowly but surely drove them back across the Walmer-road in the direction of the Castle-hill-fort. Though beaten by superior force, the defenders retired in unbroken order down the slope towards the valley, in which at the bottom lay the Broad Leesfarm. Now and again they turned fiercely at bay, and checked the victorious progress of the invaders, until they received substantial aid from a quarter which had not before been available.

As the enemy came sweeping over the crest of the hill and began to descend into the Broad Lees-valley, they came within sight of the castle and the Castle-hill-fort, and within range of their powerful guns. In a moment, from every bastion of the eastern faces of both these works, dense masses of thick white smoke were belched forth, the thundering reports shook hill and valley, and a storm of shot poured over the heads of the defenders into the ranks of the advancing enemy, staggering them, and for a while stopping their triumphal advance. Being speedily reinforced, however, they again advanced and closed with the defenders at the bottom of the valley. Their left, far outflanking the right of the defenders, pushed on and attempted to carry the outworks of the castle on the edge of the cliff, while their centre fiercely attacked the battalions of the defenders who were holding Broad Lees-farm, which had now become the Hougomont of the battle. After a gallant defence, the thinned ranks of the defenders were driven out of the position at Broad Lees-farm, and forced again to retire, making their foe, however, pay dearly by well-directed volleys as he seized the coveted prize.

This victory of his centre was to some degree neutralized by his right being held in check by the vigorous resistance of the defenders' left, supplemented by a searching fire from the Castlehill-fort and by a worse disaster to his left. Rushing confidently against the outworks of the castle, the left wing of the enemy was met by such a withering cross-fire of artillery that the battalions first hesitated, then stopped, and finally fled in disorder to the shelter of the lowest point of the valley. They, however, received a powerful reinforcement in the shape of a diversion by their fleet. The "Royal Sovereign" and the "Scorpion " brought their heavy twelve-ton guns to bear upon the castle. The enemy brought up reserves, strengthened his shattered left, filled up the gaps here and there along the whole length of his line, and then pressed forward again in pursuit of the defenders, who were now cresting the western brow above the Broad Lees-valley. The fight blazed up again with intense vigour, and for a space the valley was filled with